Dez Bryant: LeBron James would be a beast in the NFL

Posted by Michael David Smith on August 2, 2013, 7:51 PM EST

Reuters

If Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is ever ready to really spend on a free agent, Dez Bryant has an idea: Sign LeBron James.

Bryant told ESPNDallas.com that James has such great athletic talent that he could sign right now and be more than ready to play tight end or wide receiver in the NFL by the start of the regular season.

“That dude is just that talented,” Bryant said. “I think it would take him probably about a good two weeks to get very acquainted with football, knowing what he’s supposed to do. I think that’s all he’d need with his physical ability. I’ve seen a little bit of his highlights from high school. He’s got the hands, he can run the routes, he’s fast enough. He could play in this league if he put it all together.”

James was a good enough high school wide receiver that he had scholarship offers to major college football programs, including Notre Dame, where then-receivers coach Urban Meyer tried to recruit him without even knowing that James was a lock to be the first overall pick in the NBA draft right out of high school. Bryant thinks it would be easy for James to make the jump.

“All he’d need to do is probably work on a little technique,” Bryant said. “It’s not like he’s never played football before. He has played football. I think he’d be a beast in the red zone. I think he could do it. I think he could do it, seriously.”

It’s safe to say that James isn’t going to quit the NBA for the NFL. But if he did, he’d probably have more success than Michael Jordan had playing baseball.

Lets’s say LeBron wins 3 more titles. Why not retire and go the NFL. He’s already a first ballot H.O.F. if he retired from basketball today. Wait never mind- I don’t wanna hear him say “I’m taking my talents to the NFL”

LeBron would get LeBroke in half if he got hit by an NFL defender. He is basketball ready but its a “whole ‘nother thing” to get your body football ready. Not saying that its not possible, but he would need a helluva lot more than 2 friggin weeks! Please!! GTSOH!!!!

Lebron is too soft for the NFL. It’s a physical sport. Why would you leave the weak ass nba that gives you all the calls for a league that would knock you around for real. Lebron wouldn’t make it through preseason before he ran back to basketball.

commonsensedude says:Aug 2, 2013 9:23 PM

Why in the world would he want to do that. You don’t hear about retired NBA players getting premature dementia or getting into concussion lawsuits, do you?

The way he over sells getting hit and then lays on the floor in agony for 30 or more seconds and then gets up like nothing happened really bothers me. He whines about the physicality in NBA playoff games and complains that everyone hacks him but would do you think would happen when he goes over the middle in an NFL game and gets laid out by a SS? Or if he plays defensive end and gets dominated or doubled by a couple of linemen? Hes going to whine and complain. He would never make it in the NFL because he wouldn’t be able to physically dominate everyone like he does in the NBA.

This is absurd. The guy owns the NBA right now, why would he play football do he could be punch drunk by the time he’s forty. Even the guys that are analysts are all effed in the head. Have you ever noticed how little sense Bradshaw, Long, and Strahan actually make. I despise the Cowboys but Jimmy Johnson is the only one on that broadcast that can form a coherent sentence. Strahan just smiles a brain dead smile, Howie Long makes Brick Tamland look introspective, and whatever Bradshaw is saying barely qualifies as the English Language. I doubt they would be in this state if they played in the lackadaisical NBA of 2013

I’m going to go on record and say he may not have been inducted into Canton, had he chose football. From an athletic standpoint, there’s no question he could hang. But anything could happen. With his size, he would get tackled HARD. His legs would be all chopped up. Look at other big, strong guys like Brandon Jacobs or antonio gates. Now, Lebron is a better athlete than both of those players and Jacobs is a running back. Hell, look at Gronk, who seems to be injury prone. Maybe Lebron would have wound to be a Gonzalez and relatively injury free. But I think there’s a strong possibility that getting beat up would erode his skill (see Antonio Gates).

No different than randy moss going NBA Moss was a beast on the court. Or AI as QB. Many players could’ve gone either sport.

footballhistorian says:Aug 3, 2013 2:47 AM

Dez – I’m really glad that you’ve kept your act straight and you’re looking to have a stellar year (heavens knows I’m hoping so)…but let’s tone it down a bit – you’re not a scout and LeBron will get SERIOUSLY hurt

ialwayswantedtobeabanker says:Aug 3, 2013 7:43 AM

First off, this is no hater play on Lebron — I think that guy is pretty alright overall.

Having said that – Lebron wouldn’t have a prayer in the NFL. Does he have extraordinary size and athletic ability? Hell yeah.

But athletes do not succeed in the NFL because they are either unable to compete or unwilling to compete at that level (or both).

Having ability speaks only to be “able” to play. But, to be willing to get ear-holed by Navarro Bowman, Mark Barron, Sean Witherspoon, etc. – is a huuuuge reason many don’t have the stomach to play the game.

Some of you out there may recall when Renaldo “Skeets” Nehemiah decided to give the NFL a go. It took him a very short amount of time to determine that playing on Sundays wasn’t for him.

Shaq and Barkley – two NBA monsters, each also responded to questions about playing in the NFL by indicating that they didn’t like to get hit – and neither of them wanted on any part of an NFL football field. Shaq even recalled trying football when he was younger and getting injured after taking a big hit – and said, that was the end of his football days.

So for people to only focus on athletic ability – misses a big part of the picture, and it’s a discredit to the athletes who do have the stones to bang on Sundays.

As much as that fool cries when nobody touches him can you imagine if someone like Ed Reed or Troy Polamalu were to lay him out. The NFL is a mans league he has no businesses stepping foot on a pro field.

anyone that thinks LeBron would excel in the NFL is just stupid or retarded. LeBron is 6’9″ 260 lbs,. too fast for a LB to catch and too big for anyone else to even attempt to stop unless they clip his heels while he’s running. tell me one player in NFL history that’s 6’9″ 260 lbs.. i’ll wait.: LeBron would own the NFL at any position except maybe LB .